Nashville vs San Jose: Predictions, Odds and Betting Tips

The Nashville Predators look to continue their incredible start to the season when they visit Western Conference rivals the San Jose Sharks.

Predictions

This will be a mouth-watering affair for any hockey fan, with two of the most exciting teams in the league locking horns in what could be a preview of the Western Conference final come May. Nashville will be playing their third game on four nights on the road but won’t be complaining too much having been outstanding away from Bridgestone Arena to begin the campaign.

The biggest reason for the Predators’ success is their incredible defensive play, having conceded less goals than any other team in the league. They had conceded just 31 goals after 15 games and an eye-popping goal differential of +20. Nashville is a complete team though, with six players having at least 10 points after their opening 15 games – Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Kyle Turris, P.K. Subban, and Mattias Ekholm.

Unlike the Predators though, San Jose haven’t lived up to expectations to start the season. They haven’t been horrible but with just eight wins from their first 17 games, fans won’t exactly be pleased from what they’ve seen so far. From a betting perspective, they are just 4-13 against the spread over those 17 games.

Starter Martin Jones has not looked like the goalie San Jose need to lead them to the promise land, but he hasn’t received a whole lot of help in front of him either. The Sharks have one of the worst defensive records in the NHL and it’s easy to see why.

Betting Tips

Nashville Predators win in regulation

The Predators will be a tired team heading into this one, but they are firing on all cylinders at the moment and have proven they are capable of getting the job done in any building away from home.

Under

Given Nashville’s incredible defensive record and San Jose’s poor form in recent weeks, we shouldn’t see too many goals on Tuesday evening.

Head to Head

San Jose beat the Predators 5-4 in Nashville earlier this season. The Predators took two of three games against the Sharks last year.

Statistics

Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks became just the 19th player in league history to play at least 1,500 career games. He reached the milestone on Thursday night in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars.

The San Jose Sharks entered Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars ranked dead last in the NHL in save percentage (89.59 percent).

Brent Burns provided the 400th assist of his career on Thursday night.